


Two Suspensions and an Expulsion Part 1

by Murmures1234



Series: Terror Inside Companion Pieces [3]
Category: Homeland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 18:39:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17772125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murmures1234/pseuds/Murmures1234
Summary: Find out how Frannie first ended up at her local Gym.





	Two Suspensions and an Expulsion Part 1

Two suspensions and an expulsion.

11pm. Whiskey tumbler in his hand. 

Cold winters air whipping around. Both men had their buffalo on, couldn’t feel a thing. 

December. 

What a day. What a fucking goddamned day. 

“Frannie asleep?” Rob asked.

“Finally,” he responded. He paused. “Does every family find things this hard?” He asked the man sat next to him. 

“Of course they do,” Rob replied. 

He was so glad Rob was just back from his latest tour. He’d been useful tonight, restraining wild-cat Frannie before she could run around the house smashing windows like she had done at school earlier that day. He was very glad Rob had elected (after much badgering) to take up the spare room for the 6 weeks he’d expected to be back. He’d been the world of help. 

It had been a long day. 

Frannie had lasted a grand total of 2 hours and 53 minutes in lessons on her return to school after her latest suspension before it had all become too much for her. 

He knew there’d been something going on with the other girls. Frannie wasn’t your usual eleven year old girl, not at all. She just didn’t fit in. 

Who would be, growing up in a family like this? 

It was only logical, he presumed, having seen so much shit from her and Carrie in her early life that behavioural problems would manifest. 

Poor Carrie, this was her worst fucking nightmare. 

She was teetering on the brink again, for the first time in years, convinced she’d passed her part of the gene lottery on to her daughter. 

The two men sat there in silence. 

Eventually, Peter spoke. 

“If she was a lad, I’d take her down to the Gym.”

“Why don’t you?” Rob asked back. 

Peter paused for a minute. 

He’d worked alongside some totally badass ladies in his military years, and there were several powerhouse women on the Police Force now. There were several ladies his gym too, each powerful, strong, focused and great role models. 

_Carrie would hate it though. She was so against the hand-guns. Trying to raise her daughter without violence. Peter had been trying to persuade her to move on and accept that Frannie loved shooting, and needed the focus of the long guns. But maybe Rob was right, maybe Frannie also needed the self-respect and the discipline the gym would bring._

“How’s Carrie doing with all of this?” Rob changed the subject. 

Peter breathed out. 

“She’s asleep finally. It broke her heart Frannie wouldn’t leave school with her today. I don’t know how to tell her that it’s not her fault. Because maybe it kind of is both of our faults? Frannie’s seen so much drama. The first five years of her life it was mostly just me raising her, then two years of it being mostly mum. Now she’s had four years of us alternately being the calmest people in the world and then throwing plates and cups at each other.” 

There was nothing to say to that. 

“You know you are just two parents, trying to do the best you can though right?” Rob eventually said. 

The whiskey tumbler was swirled around in his hand again. 

“I know that. Just sometimes it doesn’t seem enough. You know?” 

Only the whipping of the wind could be heard. 

“Your best is all you got the bro. You’ll get her through this. You were wild enough at school!” 

Peter bristled at that. 

“I don’t want her ending up like me though.” 

Rob paused. 

“You’re a good man, whose seen some bad shit. But you’re a good man Quinn. If Frannie grows up to be half the adult you are she’ll be doing you proud.” 

An iron hand reached across onto Peters shoulder. 

“She’s a good kid. Have you tried straight up asking her what’s so bad at school?” 

“She won’t talk. Not to me, not to Carrie. I think she’s being bullied, and I think she’s pretty bored.” 

“Well the not talking doesn’t sound like anyone I know. The bored is easy to solve though. The bullying too now she’s been expelled. New school new start. She just needs some self-confidence and some spunk” 

Peter looked thoughtful. 

“Look mate. I’m back for 6 weeks. I know you can take some time off, you can’t take as long off as it would take to sort out her new school placement. Neither can Carrie. I’ve got nothing else to do. I’ll drag your girl to the gym tomorrow while both of you are at work.” 

“You don’t have to,” said Peter, still struggling to accept help. 

Rob stood up. 

“I know, but I want to. That kid saved the life of my best friend. If anyone deserves my time, effort and energy it’s her.” 

Peter stood up as well, exhausted and ready for bed. _Carrie wouldn’t like this._. Fuck it. Better to seek forgiveness than permission, right? 

“If you’re sure. Thankyou mate.” 

Rob smiled back. 

“It’s a privilege and a pleasure bro. I love training and teaching little squirts, you know that.” Rob said, smiling, thinking back to the long hours in the Gym with teenage Peter Quinn. 

"You were only 4 years older than me, you git," Peter said, punching his friend in the arm. Hard. 

They fell into silence again, looking out at the night sky. 

"She'll get throught his Peter Quinn. You all will." 

Peter smiled a thin smile at his friend. Hope in his eyes for the first time in weeks. 

They went inside, and upstairs, Rob up to the spare room and Peter slid into his and Carries bed. Carrie was sound asleep, curled up, pillow wet with tears.  
Peter put his arm around her, offering what little comfort he could through his presence, and drifted off into a fitful, nightmare filled sleep. 

At 0530 in the morning, Peter heard Rob padding around the house. He was quiet, but Peter had worked years with Rob and could recognise his footsteps anywhere. 

He was surprised when at 0545 he heard Frannie padding around too, but didn’t want to get up and disturb whatever rapport Rob and Frannie had going. 

Frannie was not usually quiet in the mornings. The door opened and shut at 0600. 

_Morning run. Rob’s putting my girl through basic._ Was Peters thought. 

Of course, Peter knew it wouldn’t be just like basic. His little girl was only eleven, she couldn’t run as much or as fast or as far. But maybe Rob was right, maybe it would do her some good. She needed some routine. She certainly had energy and anger to burn. 

And she’d recently grown to idolise Rob, so she’d listen to him. Mum and Dad were too easy to shout at, to rail against. And so long as she told someone what was going on, quite frankly Peter didn’t really care who.


End file.
